Tongs.



PATEN'JEED AUG.14, 1906.

J. P. oee. ones. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 2. 1904.

U En.

WITNESSES. 9 0%. WM

I UNIT D STATES JOHN P. oee, or RILLTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR or oneTHIRD TO KAY TOTTEN & WINTER, or PITTSBURG, PENNSYL- VANIA, APARTNERSHIP.

' .TQNGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

Application filed December 2,1904- Serial No. 235,221.

' land and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Tongs; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to tongs, and more especially to tongs for handlinghot rivets.

'Heretofore in the erection of structural steel work for buildings or inboiler-works and other places where rivets are employed it has beencustomary to handle the hot rivets by means of ordinary tongs whichgrasp the rivet at the shank. The grasping of the rivet by such ton s atthe shank, which is round, makes the handling of the rivet and adjustingof the same in position for riveting very uncertain, as the rivet isliable to webble or change its position when grasped by the tongs, so asto entirely slip therefrom orso as to make it inconvenient and difficultto nsert it nto the opening formed to receive it. This riveting is oftendone in positions where the party grasping the rivet 'is very muchhampered in his movements, as in the case of the erection ofsky-scrapers, so that it is often very difficult to seize therivet andhold it properly for insertion in the opening. a

The object of my invention is to provide a form of tongs by means ofwhich hot rivets may be grasped and held securely, so that the shankalways remains in one position, which enables the-operator to insert itaccurately into any opening wherever the same may be located. i

To these ends my invention com rises, generally stated, spring-handletongs aving one arm-with a straight bifurcated end adapted to engage theshank of the rivet, the other arm being curved at the end so as tocorrespond with the head of the rivet and bent so as to be adapted toenter the fork in the other arm of the tongs beyond the head of therivet contained therein, so as to hold the rivet se curely in positionand prevent the wabbling :or displacing of the rivet in handling it withsaid tongs.

To enable others skilled in the art to make proved tongs with the rivetheld therein in position for insertion into an opening to rivet two,parts together. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tongs whenopen. Fig. 3 is a side view of the upper end of the tongs, the closedposition being shown in dotted lines.

Like numerals indicate like parts in each of the figures.

In the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a suitable pairof tongs of thespring-handle type having the arms 3 and 4 connected by the spring-strap5; The arm 3 of the tongs has the bifurcated end 6, while the arm 4 hasthe curved end portion 7, which is adapted to engage the head of therivet, while the for- Ward end of said curved portion. is adapted toenter between the bifurcated end 6 of the arm 3. The shape of the endportion 7 may vary according to circumstances; but it is preferablycurved to conform substantially With the rounded head of the rivet,while the end of said curved portion entering the bifurcated end of thearm 3 acts to prevent the rivet from slipping from said bifurcated endwhen theshaft of the rivet is engaged thereby.

When in use, the operator with the tongs in the openpo'sition thruststhe bifurcated end of the arm 3 into engagement with the shank of therivet and then closes down with the arm 4, so thatthe end 7 engages thehead of the rivet, as indicated in Fig. 1. By grasping the arms of thetongs, as indicated, the arms are closed and the rivet held securely inposition, so that it may be inserted with accuracy into the opening toreceive itsuch, for instance, as the opening 8 in the angle 9, which isbeing rivetedto the beam 10. The tongs and the rivet held thereby may behandled with equal facility in whatever position it is necessary toinsert the rivet, whether from a point below or from any otherdirection, as

there is no liability of the rivets slipping or dropping from the tongs.This is often a matter of great inconvenience in the erection of tallbuildings or any place where hot rivets are employed, as the rivets areliable to drop from the tongs or to wabble around in differentpositions, sothat it makes it difficult to insert them with accuracyinto the opening made to receive them. By my invention, however, allthis is avoided and it enables ioo greater rapidity of Work anddispenses with one of the arms thereof having a bifurcated I 5 extralabor. These rivets are usually heatend adapted to engage the shank ofthe rivet, ,ed at the forge at some distance from the and the end of theother arm having a curvcd point of use and are generally tossed by theportion adapted to engage the head of the 5 operator of the forge to theplace where they I rivet and enter the space between the prongs are tobe employed and are usually caught of said bifurcated end beyond thehead. of 20 by the workman in some sort of receptacle, saidrivet. v -vwhen they arevpicked from the receptacle by" In testimony whereof I, thesaid'JonN 1. the tongs. ith my improved tongs these OGG, have hereuntoset my hand.

10 rivets may be tossed from one point to another with equal facility bysimply easing up I JOHN on the tongs when about to toss the rivet.Witnesses:

What I claim is-'- JOHN C. FREDERICK,

In tongs for handling rivets or like articles, I D. L. FRrcK.

